When Karnan's eyes opened. He found himself unmoving. The white-washed ceiling of the infirmary loomed before him with all of its banal simplicity. White curtains hid him from the outside world, or perhaps it was the opposite. He raised his head and found his body locked inside a prana cast. It was a translucent thing, shiny like ivory yet smooth to touch like butter. He lay back on his pillow. Below his neck, he could feel nothing, and he didn't know if that was good or bad or awful.
He tried to open his mouth. Pain flared on the left side of his face, where he had been punched. He abandoned the idea of talking and tried to call Shri.
Master? You there? Master?
I am right outside. Her voice was like a breeze on a beach. He let out a sigh.
How long was I out?
I heard the eighth bell right before you woke. She said. She didn't add anything else. Karnan had figured just as much. Something wasn't right.
Everything fine? He asked, although somewhere inside him, he had the answer to Shri's silence.
She took her own time to reply. I failed as your master.
He said, Yes. You have. A low and soft whine came from right outside the curtain to his left. Is that what you wanted to hear? Or should I add some more despair to that?
I am serious. Her voice became stern.
Karnan wanted to laugh telepathically. He tried to form the syllables, imagining himself guffawing for real. But to his utter disappointment, what came out was a cringeworthy squeal.
Shri snorted, My dear pupil. Please, no more laughing while speaking with your mind. I will have nightmares about this for many days to come.
Nice! Now you are learning some sense of humour! He said with a faint giggle. Absolutely sure what her reply would be.
And, to his unsurprise, she said exactly what he had thought she would. Word by word.
I am far too old not to have a sense of humour. Did you forget how you looked in that tomb?
He was ready, so ready for this. Yeah, switch places and then talk. At least I wasn't crying. Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me, yesterday.
She growled, You better stay on that bed, Karnan, if you wish to stay alive.
He laughed, for real this time. His reformed jaw complained with sharp stings, and his joy ended with an abrupt yelp.
Serves you right for disrespecting your teacher. Shri teased before turning serious, enough chatting, check your chakra. There's a surprise for you.
Karnan closed his eyes and focused on his chakra. His heart stopped for a breath, the hair on his arm perched, and he swallowed. His chakra felt sturdier than before. He immediately moved his attention to the centre of his forehead, where the body manifested its stage. There, above the smudged ball of white, were three cosmic drops. He had achieved in months what others took decades for.
He gasped. Jumping two levels? Was that because of his star?
Yes and no. said Shri.
Meaning?
Meaning, this is because of your star. But not because of its incoming motion. For the last two months, you haven't used much of your starlight. Remember? I had said that we are like stores. So, all you have been doing is accumulating until enough cosmic energy is collected to push your chakra to its current state.
Karnan paused, astounded at the revelation. A thought crossed his mind. It seemed stupid, but he had to ask. So, if I do nothing but sleep for a year. I will reach the Sainik stage?
Shri groaned, more like a grating yawn. Karnan was again surprised and also felt a tinge of pride at how clearly he could understand her gestures, like he had become some sort of animal whisperer.
I will disown you if you keep asking such questions. She was annoyed. Your growth is a combination of two things. Accumulation and the sudden release when you fight. The chakras in you humans are like muscles; strain them enough, and they grow.
Ohh, so if I store enough cosmic light and then push myself, my power grows. So, now that I am depleted, I should refrain from fighting for a few days. He thesised.
A quick learner you are. But, there's one more thing you should keep in mind. In the last fight, you had lost control. Your breathing was uneven. So, the prana flow was disturbed, stretching your prana channels to the verge of permanent damage. And, if that wasn't enough, your starlight was depleted completely. So, your chakra, too, was stretched far more than it should. You could have lost your chakra there and with it your ability to use the arts, forever.
A new fear crept like a shadow. He had pushed himself to the brink of crippling himself, physically and spiritually. A shiver cracked like thin ice underneath his spine. His breathing was rapid now, just like when he had faced Meera. All this was because of how far his star was. For others, the accumulation of cosmic energy was an afterthought. Whereas for him it was a hard-fought treasure.
Shri continued, her tone softer now. We were caught off guard. I, too, had a part in pushing you. But, not anymore. Now, we will be prepared.
How? He asked.
I have some ideas. But let's talk after we reach Vanu's tavern. You have a visitor.
Me? Who- The curtain near his feet was swept aside, revealing master Maitree. Her yellow pupils gobbled him up. She had a reputation for being obsessed with wounds and injuries. Broken bones, torn tendons, and shattered ligaments were a buffet she could keep munching on for days. But, apart from her quirk, she had one of the kindest of smiles in the school. The likes of which could comfort even a furious thunder.
She smiled at him, "You have quite the pet. Beautiful and loyal to the teeth. What's her name?"
"Shri," he stammered out a muffled answer.
Her eyes widened, "Oh! I had forgotten about your broken jaw, your seventeen fractures, including one that had nearly punctured your right lung and your misshapen back and shoulder muscles." Her demeanour changed all of a sudden. Karnan's hackles rose as she barged into his face. She bent with a menacing look. "You lived through pure dumb luck, Karnan Al Veera. Next time, I won't be there to save you. So, heed me when I say." She stuck her fingers on his nose and pinched, "From now on, you will tread carefully."
Karnan's eyes watered. She held on for more than what he could bear before letting go. He couldn't even caress his poor nose. He wanted to complain, but the situation was too dire for that. Shri, it seemed, had stepped onto a train of laughter. Her chuckling made master Maitree turn to her with an amused look. "Something stuck in her throat. Get up and help your pet. Poor thing hasn't shut an eye, waiting for you to wake."
"Teacher," he said.
"Yes?" she gave him a quizzing look.
Karnan exhaled, "Am I trash? An unwanted garbage that needs to be shunned?" Meera's tanuts, the juniors, and the teacher at the gate. Everyone's voice echoed in his ears. Telling him the same thing over and over. He was nothing but trash.
Child. He heard Shri. Her tone was affectionate, something he had never heard from the patriarch or his wife. She loved him, and so did he. But he wanted to hear from the doctor, who had nursed his wounds since he had been a part of this school nine years ago. He wanted to know if all those years were but a dream that had broken on the day of his choosing. He wanted to know if, like the rest, she too hated him now.
Maitree folded her hands. She pursed her lips and shook her head. "Shall I pinch your nose off your face, Karnan? Trash! You? Boy, trash can't shatter the hand of a higher-staged celestial artist with just a single low-grade art."
She threw her hands into the air, "From where is all this weakness coming from?" she said loudly.
Karnan sighed, "I- just thought,"
"Thought what? Do you think your accident affected only you? No, Karnan, it saddened all of us. But does that mean we mop the floor all the time? No, right? We stand and keep staring at the next day, keep living, fighting. Isn't it?"
He had no reply.
She fumed, "I didn't expect this from you, Karnan. Have you realised what you did?"
"No?" he grimaced, expecting another barrage of scolding.
She breathed, "You have taken out someone stronger, far stronger and that too spectacularly. Right now, as we speak. The students who saw it will be talking to their parents. Who then will be telling this to their friends? Soon, the city will know. The lion clan's name will be maligned, and the power that they had so stubbornly held onto will weaken. Your one action has sent ripples to the very top of the city's politics. Can a trash do all this?"
I am beginning to like her. Shri quipped. But Karnan felt dread enshroud him; his palms and feet had begun sweating. Master Maritree was so proudly stating the worst thing that could have happened to him. Making an enemy of the city.
Master, I think we need to prepare for a long, long journey. Far from here. But my debt? Oh no. My clan! What will they do if I don't pay them back? They are already short of funds. But if I stay, the lion clan will come for me. They will kill me. Oh heavens, what shall I do? What shall I do?
Breathe. Shri said calmly. No one's harming you with me and the wolf-guard here. Focus on the task at hand. Ask her how soon you can leave this room. We need to get our art and return.
Karnan nodded, looking at master Maitree. "My thanks for the encouragement, master. How soon can I go?"
She narrowed her eyes for a moment before speaking, "You are healed. I am discharging you now. But, before you leave, know that I will visit you later. I need to run some tests, so I will come back to the estate in a few days."
"I don't live there anymore, and my current residence is," he halted to find the right word, "unfit for you."
She furrowed her brow, "You don't live in the owl estate?"
He gave her a slow nod.
A few breaths passed with her staring at him in disbelief. She sighed, closing her eyes. Her jaw was clenched, and so were both her fists around the railings of the bed. She composed herself and waved her hand; the cast glowed a golden yellow before clicking open from the middle. With her help, he sat shirtless.
She spun and went out of the curtained room. A metal cupboard cranked open to his left. After a while, she was back, with a walnut-shaped box. Inside it were neatly folded clothes.
She handed it to him, "Help yourself and keep the rest. I don't know if all will fit you, but some should. Once, done. Head straight to the library. That's where you were headed, right?"
'Ye-yes. Master Maitree," he said, facing away from her. His ears felt hot, and he was sure master Maitree would have noticed already. He wished her gone as soon as possible. But, she just stood there. Her scent lingered.
"What are you waiting for? Change and be going. And yes, this will be your last such trip to this school, and you get to pick only one of the arts. Don't ask me. Orders from above. So, choose wisely." She said.
"Mmm, master. I can't change here," his voice trembled.
"Why?" she scowled. After a pause, she spoke again, "So I am why you can't change? Hmmmph, you kids. Your entire batch grew before me, remember? The mewling, whimpering children you all were? Especially you and your friend Ravim. Absolute crybabies, both of you. Now, look at you."
She whistled, "Fine, I am leaving. Do exactly as I told you. From here to the library, pick your art and then straight out the door. And, please. If you are so shy, put on some pants first."
She whirled and soon enough, the whiff of her perfume was gone, leaving only a faint imprint in the air. Karnan envied it as only the air had been spared; in contrast, his heart, mind, and soul had all been ravaged beyond repair. He sank into his cot and curled into a ball. An honourable death in combat was something every celestial artist yearned for. Karnan was ready to compromise on the honour part. The rest was what he rabidly sought right then.